Transition to remote work | First-month experience
Over the past two years, due to COVID-19, most companies have been forced to switch to remote work. But it has not been easy: not all employees supported such a prospect; some found it hard to believe they could keep up with their specific activities, some because of intimate convictions.
I found myself being one of those employees who needed to go to work. Throughout the entire quarantine regime, I had to physically be at my workplace and follow all the quarantine measures to avoid infection. But I can’t pretend that doing that every day has been unchallenging: I was living in constant stress, feeling that I had the responsibility to protect my family and myself. I know that for me, working from home was off-limits, though. But then…everything’s changed.
I received an offer from Jagaad - a fully digital company that prizes remote working and employs software development professionals from all corners of the world.
I have to admit, the idea of my first day intrigued me a lot. I couldn’t believe that all I needed was to open my laptop and start working, just like that! Everything was unclear to me, never having worked from home before.
But I knew that I had absolute control over one thing: the organization of my workplace. So, I started by choosing the best place in the house, the most isolated from any possible family interference. I then started organizing my workspace: all I needed was a chair, a table, and (of course) hardware — a computer or laptop to work.
On the eve of my first day, I received an email with all the necessary instructions, and I started getting acquainted with all the requirements and introductory information.
My first day started with an online meeting where I had the chance to introduce myself to my co-workers living all over the world and got to know them better. After that, I spent my time becoming familiar with various materials and tools Jagaad uses for work.
Sometime after that first day, I found that remote working had some cool personal benefits. To start with: time. The company position permitted flexible working hours and allowed me to start working when it suited me the most. I also realized that at my previous job I used to spend a lot, a lot of time just getting to work. It may seem silly, but remote work makes starting a new day at work very easy: all you have to do is grab your laptop and turn it on.
The next major benefit I’ve noticed is a reduction in my spending. With significant price increases pretty much everywhere in the world on all products, I know that I’m saving daily on fuel (not having to pick up my car to go to the office) and on food (not having to buy lunch every day but cooking homemade healthy food). It’s true that I’m giving up free cookies and coffee in the office, but it’s also true that I can have better coffee and much tastier cookies at home, just the ones I prefer.
I’ve also noticed that working from home, I am focused like I’ve never been in the office while surrounded by colleagues. One of the main reasons for this, I think, is linked to a new sense of personal responsibility and to the possibility of having a perfectly equipped space to work where no interference and no noise is affecting my concentration.
As far as the work goes, working from home has not made me feel utterly alone and isolated as I feared it would. Technologies allow me to communicate with my colleagues and meet amazing people even while working remotely. Thus, I have never felt left out or forced to deal with work-related problems by myself.
So, If I have to review my transition to remote work, I have to say that it has left me with a positive impression, making me feel no desire at all to go back to the job I had.
I am extremely confident that the well-coordinated work of all departments and employees of Jagaad Digital Company and their unique cohesion as like-minded people contributed to creating such a positive experience.
